Back in 2011, I attended a couple shows by The National at the Beacon Theatre in New York. The first night, I remember being surprised to see Trey Anastasio of Phish in the audience. It seemed mildly shocking to see one of the coolest bands in the world collide with one of the least cool (if still massively popular). The second night, Trey even sat in with them on a bunch of songs! Within a few years, The National helped curate the Day of the Dead indie-rock Grateful Dead tribute album, and since then “indie-jam” has become a buzzword. The indie and jamband worlds don’t seem nearly as far apart as they did in 2011.
During the holidays, Trey Anastasio once again played a National tune on a New York stage. In fact, it was the first song he played with the band itself 11 years (almost to the day!) prior: “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” His accompaniment this time was not Matt Berninger and the two pairs of brothers though. It was superproducer Jack Antonoff, who was hosting his annual Talent Show benefit supporting his and his wife’s LGBTQ equality non-profit The Ally Coalition. With Matty Healy from The 1975 jamming along on guitar, Trey and Jack led the band through The National’s High Violet standout. Check it out below.
